Our science unit this half term is ‘Electrical circuits and components’ and we have been constructing circuits using various components including bulbs, buzzers, motors and switches. We have created different series circuits (a circuit where all the components are connected in one single loop), complete and incomplete circuits and compared and given reasons for variations in how components function, including the brightness of bulbs, the loudness of buzzers and the on/off position of switches. Our investigations have enabled us to spot patterns between the number of components and the brightness of bulbs and loudness of buzzers and identify that when more bulbs or buzzers are added to a circuit, the components dim or get quieter, even if the voltage remains the same. We have discovered that adding more components means that it is more difficult for the current to flow around the circuit, which is why the brightness of bulbs decreases when more are added.
